TLDR: Alterna Cycles was first conceived of in 2007 when a few business partners did the math on the coming energy densities of batteries and performance of compact hub and mid drive motors signaling the coming of new transportation norms. It took 10 years for Prototype 1 to be produced which laid the foundation for the Concept 1, Alterna Cycles first product offering.
The long story… Alterna Cycles was never originally meant to be what you see today, the hope was to keep it simple. Bolt a high power hub motor to a simple triple triangle frame, and tear up the back 40, or turn it down to legal power limits and grab a coffee in town, or commute to work. Except when we built that, we wanted more.
We wanted better pedaling, slicker integration, lighter weight, and a platform which could handle that power and grow with our needs as cycling became electric cycling. We wanted to keep up with our friends with quads and motos on the weekends, yet still get our miles in during the week. So we set out to buy and build such a electric cycle, the Concept 1.
Alterna is made up of enthusiasts, and built for enthusiasts